City meets with government officials to learn more about cannabis store set up

While all the legislation and the logistics are not quite in place, the province is moving forward to identify possible sites to convert to legalized cannabis stores.

City CAO Al Horsman said a preliminary meeting was held with provincial officials late last week to learn more about the potential store and what, if anything is expected from the municipality.

The meeting was more of a fact-finding agenda, Horsman told The Sault Star, with the primary focus centring on site locations and the parameters the province will work within.

Horsman said the greatest issue will be finding a suitable location for the store, away from schools and other vulnerable areas. He's hoping a previous study completed for Algoma Public Health, using the GIS system, can be used to identify potential locations.

The provincial government has also said that guidelines will also centre on protecting youth by ensuring stores are not in close proximity to schools. The locations identified are also designed to provide legal stores for medicinal purposes and address the illegal stores and dispensaries currently operating.

Sault Ste. Marie was previously identified as one of 14 possible first designations across Ontario as a site for the July 2018 launch by the Ministry of Finance and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

Other potential sites in Northern Ontario include Sudbury and Thunder Bay.

Horsman said the city was chosen purely for geographical reasons.

“We're a little farther removed from everywhere so we we chosen based on that and that's the same for Thunder Bay and Sudbury,” he said.

Horsman said while he asked whether the city would be part of any revenue sharing system with the province for hosting the facility, that discussion won't be held for quite some times.

“I certainly put forth the consideration of a revenue sharing situation and that there may be costs incurred by the municipality,” Horsman said, “but it was clearly noted that discussion would be for another day.”

Horsman doesn't expect any real research to be conducted until early in the new year, with a decision being made in march and any construction beginning after that for a July 2018 opening.

The municipality will follow the government directed program but Horsman noted that there are still a number of issues that need to be ironed out and challenges the government needs to address.

For instance, he said, no consideration of special circumstances were given to the fact that Sault Ste. Marie is a border town, he said.

“Really, the municipality won't have much of a role other than insuring that any building permits are issued and, of course we both want a collaborative, willing working relationship,” he said. T

he province expects to have about 150 stores open by 2020. An initial 40 stores will open by July 2018 and that number will double in the first year.

It's also expected that an online distribution system will also be able to service all regions of Ontario.

The Ontario government expects that legislation will be introduced this fall that will ultimately manage the legalization of cannabis.

Under proposed legislation, the minimum age to use, purchase and possess recreational cannabis will be 19 and its use will be prohibited in public places and workplaces.

The LCBO will be responsible for overseeing the legal retail of cannabis through stand-alone stores.